Field of the Invention
This invention relates to injection devices, and more particularly, relates to smart autoinjectors for injecting liquid medicines into patients in need of therapeutic treatments.
Description of the Related Art
Autoinjectors are medical devices that allow patients to self-administer their medications outside a hospital or physician's office. These devices are often used for the management of chronic diseases. A typical autoinjector consists of a prefilled syringe in a mechanical device that deploys a needle and delivers a medicament with a single push of a release button. Autoinjectors may also be disposable, and can include safety mechanisms to shield the needle both before and after injection.
An autoinjector, or its contents, may be damaged during the manufacturing or delivery process. For example, the autoinjector can be damage during transportation, storage, or immediately before or after use. The medicine may be damaged by being subjected to high or low temperatures, pressures, or other extreme environmental conditions. A patient self-administering medication using an autoinjector may be unaware of any the damage, and therefore can be at risk for administering outdated or improperly stored medicine. The patient may also be at risk for using an autoinjector that has been physically damaged and shouldn't be used for treatment. To overcome some of these disadvantages, prior autoinjectors have included a viewing window to provide a patient visual access to the medicament and the injection mechanisms. However, visual access alone may not alert a patient to certain defects in the device or the medicament. Similarly, visual access alone may not be sufficient to inform the user of the status of the injection, for example if the drug was injected fully and the injection is complete.